Mayor Strelchenko, drop your cruel complaint

While leading a delegation to Moscow from the Committee to Protect
Journalists in late September, I had the opportunity to meet with Mikhail
Beketov in the Moscow hospital where he was being treated. It was a very moving
experience for me, one I will never forget. As I am sure you know, Beketov was
brutally beaten in November 2008 by several men who left him to die in the
freezing cold. As a result, he lost a leg and several fingers and suffered
serious brain injuries. Today, he is unable to speak.

Last week I saw photographs of him that greatly distressed me. He was
being loaded onto an ambulance, then wheeled into a courtroom to face charges
of criminal defamation brought by you. I was frankly sickened to learn that
this man who was nearly killed in retaliation for his work, who can no longer walk
and speak, is being prosecuted while his attackers walk free.

Today, I was outraged to learn that not only have you not stopped this
travesty of a lawsuit, but because of you Beketov is now a convicted criminal.

Mayor Strelchenko, Mikhail Beketov criticized you. He was forceful in
his opinions, and I'm sure you did not like being attacked in the media. But it
is the responsibility of those who hold public office to accept criticism. This
is the very essence of democratic government.

Beketov and his defense team are going to appeal today's verdict, but
the process will without a doubt be taxing for them. I urge you to immediately drop
this unwarranted and cruel complaint against Mikhail Beketov. Your insistence
on pursuing it does infinitely more damage to your personal reputation and your
great nation's international reputation than anything Mikhail Beketov ever said or
wrote.